In the midst of a scorching political campaign between the rivals BJP and Congress in Karnataka ahead of the crucial assembly polls, the Congress party has made a shocking allegation on Saturday that the BJP is plotting to kill Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and his family. To throw weight on its claim, the Congress party has cited a threat from a BJP candidate.

Karnataka is heading for a single-phase assembly poll on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13. As both the parties are vying to win the election ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the upbill battle in Karnataka is on its final phase. Amidst heated war of words, Congress has alleged that the BJP is plotting to kill Mallikarjun Kharge and his family. 

While addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday - May 6, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said that BJP candidate from Chittapur, Manikanta Rathod had threatened Kharge and used abusive language. At the presser, the Congress leader has also played Rathod's audio clip intimidating the Congress president. 

Surjewala said, "Plotting to kill the president of Congress Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife, and children is not something that anybody should brush aside. It should be taken very seriously." Slamming BJP's Rathod, Surjewala said, "It's not an ordinary person. It is the blue-eyed boy, the Chittapur BJP candidate whose track record you know better than me, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai."

Congress took to Twitter and released the audio clip and highlighted that Rathod had a slew of pending cases against him. The party wrote, "Meet Manikant Rathod, the BJP candidate from Chittapur constituency, who has over 40 criminal cases against him. He also happens to be the "blue-eyed boy" of PM Modi & CM Bommai. In this viral audio, the BJP leader can be heard saying- *"Will wipe off Kharge's family".

"Here's the list of pending criminal cases against him: - Attempt to murder - Illegal transportation of Anna Bhagya rice - Drugs and narcotics smuggling - Iillegal possession of fire arms - Criminal intimidation It is evident that the BJP operates on the politics of hate. Facing imminent defeat in the Karnataka elections, the 40% commission govt has touched a new low by plotting to kill the entire family of our honourable party President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge. This is not an attack on Shri Mallikarjun Kharge but on the honour and life of every Kannadiga!", the party further wrote. 

It must be noted that Rathod is contesting against Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge in Chittapur constituency. Rathod has about thirty criminal cases against him and in November 2022, Rathod was apprehended for threatening Priyank Kharge. During the presser, Surjewala further opined that the Prime Minister, Karnataka police, and Election Commission of India will remain mute to the issue and won't take any action against him.